Why “Vacation Hair” Is the Next Ombré

There are a lot of beauty benefits that come with summer. Sun-kissed skin, tiny specks of freckles and of course, those natural highlights. While you might be repping all these features come July, that’s a long time to wait. And being the impatient beauty fanatics we are, we want it all now. Sun-kissed skin is an easy fix with some tanning lotion (use responsibly, people), but those highlights are a little harder to fake. Sure, we’ve all attempted a few spritzes of Sun-In every now and again, but let’s be honest: you can’t expect an epic transformation from a $4 bottle you bought from the drugstore. But fret not, you can get that sun-kissed hair even in the early days of spring. Introducing, vacation hair.

The idea for the new hair trend was sparked by the beauty mavens over at Brydie. They asked two top hair stylists to share their spring hair color predictions and they both had the same response: “Basically, you want your hair to look like you just got back from sunbathing in St. Barths.” If you’re not totally sure what that means, think about that sort of color you used to get toward the end of summer when you were a kid – an overall lightened shade with natural, sun-kissed highlights sprinkled throughout. Sounds awesome, but how exactly do you get that look without booking an international flight?

Naturally, we tapped our resident beauty expert Misty Spinney for tips. If you’re headed to your stylist with this look in mind, she recommends simply describing it as “wanting to look like a blonde or a brunette that’s been in the sun too long.” She says, “tell them whatever base color you want and explain that you’re looking for that natural streaked-out look, but not like those ‘90s piecey highlights.”

Misty also mentions that if you’re looking for maximum depth, you should always ask for three colors: a base, highlight and low light. Whether you’re a blonde, redhead or brunette, here are three different color combinations we recommend for sun-soaked hair you don’t even have to leave home for.

Deep Espresso Roots + Toffee Lowlights + Honey Highlights: RitaHazan (one of Brydie’s beauty experts) advises brunettes to stick to “tone-on-tone colors like toffee, honey, and caramels.” Beyoncé’s hair from this year’s Grammys is a great way to get the look without going too light. This combination starts dark at the roots and then lightens up throughout with shimmery notes of toffee and honey. (Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty)

Strawberry Blonde + Copper Highlights: We know we mentioned that three different colors is key, but Emma’s hair is somewhat of an exception. Lighten that ronze color by amping it up to a soft, strawberry blonde. Then to get the sun-streaked look, add in copper highlights. If you don’t want to have less than three colors you can always go a little darker towards the roots. (Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty)

What are your thoughts this summer hair trend? Share with us in the comments below.

Cortney is the senior writer and special projects editor at Brit + Co. She typically covers topics related to women's issues, politics, and lifestyle. When she's not buried behind her computer you'll find her exploring New York City or planning her next big adventure.